Rappelberg War
The Rappelberg war was a military conflict between the Laptev Axis, its allies against Rappelberg and several other members of the United Gaullian Order who supported Rappelberg. The conflict began on the 13th of February 14NE when an amphibious invasion of Rappelberg-held Morocco was spearheaded by Beornicia, Katasian and Ystovia (1). The day after, other members of the Laptev Axis and its allies followed suit by occupying various other territories that Rappelberg controlled on Earth. Individual members of the United Gaullian Order (UGO) subsequently pledged their support for Rappelberg and joined the conflict, expanding the theaters of war. Due to the fact that the conflict took place at the same time as "Operations Groundskeeper" the Laptev Axis has supremacy over space and the conflict was confined to terristrial warfare. The Laptev Axis views the conflict as a necessary police action against Rappelberg. Prior to initiating the conflict Laptev had obtained credible intel that Rappelberg (under the influence of Tannerland) attempted to push the UGO towards a state of total war against Laptev (2). Taking the initiative Laptev launched a first strike against Rappelberg only in an attempt to thwart its attempts before a full scale factional war could erupt. Prior to the launch of military action however the nation of Tannerland had disappeared once again into the mysterious abyss, leaving Rappelberg to fend for itself. Within the course of 6 days most, if not all of Rappelberg's Earth territories such as but is not limited to: Morocco, Ethiopia, Mexico and the Caribbeans had been occupied by Laptev and her allies(3). The defeat of the UNSC-UGO at the Battle of Mombasa has been generally considered as the de facto end of the war as the UNSC-UGO was the last ally and Gaullian nation to possess a territory on Earth and the last to fall as well. Background Before talks of war began Laptev had monitored the presence of the nation of Tannerland when it became a member of the UGO. Tannerland has been known to infiltrate and hijack entire factions, its presence within the UGO (a major faction) was a cause for concern for Laptev. Initial observations saw no indication of any attempt to influence the UGO as a whole by Tannerland, however, a new intel was soon obtained by Laptev which showed that Tannerland intended to steer the UGO into a factional war against Laptev by influencing the founding member of the UGO- Rappelberg (2) (4). It was because of this piece of intelligence that Laptev and her allies decided to prevent Rappelberg (and Tannerland) from doing so by launching a first strike to prevent a factional war from occurring in the first place. Theaters of conflict Africa Africa served as one of the main theaters of conflict in the war and since most of Rappelberg's Earth territories and its allies are located on the African continent the conflict has yet to end on this theater. Morocco On 0200 hours of the 13th of February 14NE, Beornicia, Katasia and Ystovia sent special operation commandos to infiltrate coastal cities (including its capital- Rabat) and sabotage any targets of strategic importance to pave the way for the eventual amphibious invasion later after sunrise. The commandos used civilian freighters from the straits of Gibraltar in order to slip undetected into the cities. With the Rappelberg military caught off guard (5) the commandos was able to complete their objectives and soon after military forces of the Axis began to land forces across the Moroccan coast. A subsequent press release by Beornicia outlined Laptevs objectives to inform and ease the international community. Ethiopia Similar operations took place except it was executed solely by Ystovia. Operations in Ethipia commenced on 0300 hours on the same day that the occupation of Morocco began. Ystovian commandos infiltrated Ethiopia with orders to disrupt the infrastructure, power grid, water supply and industrial-military complex, with hunter-killer teams identifying persons of political and military significance, before ordering tactical sub-orbital airstrikes with plasmabaric and high-explosive ordinance (6). South Africa Several days after the conflict began, a nation known as the United Nations Space Command that was a member of the UGO launched ten snuclear missiles towards South Africa that was a part of Jamesistan's Earth territories. The UNSC (the military arm of the UPEO, not the one affiliated with the UGO) that had been in orbit long before the conflict began was able to intercept nine of the missiles. Unfortunately one managed to pass through and it struck an airbase just 2km away from Johannesberg (7). As a result more than 5 thousand personnel at the airbase as well as more than 3 thousand civilians were killed. Several farm lands located within the vicinity of the airbase were also destroyed. The use of WMDs prompted Laptev to initiate military operations against the UGO affiliated UNSC. Central & West Africa See main article: Battle of Mombasa After the UNSC-UGO launched snukes towards South Africa the UPEO, Ystovia, Katasian and the Alicantian Restoration immediately initiated military operations against the UNSC-UGO. There were many battles that took place in the central and west African theaters but two battles stood out amongst the others. These were the amphibious invasion of the west and central African coasts and the Battle of Mombasa which also served as the final battle in the entire war and both battles saw large numbers of casualties which made them the two most bloodiest battles in the African theater. Most of the battles here were largely between the Axis and the UNSC-UGO. Scramble for Africa In the early stages of the campaign the Laptev Axis received intelligence that Rappelberg and its allies were planning to annex dozens of neutral African nations throughout Africa. The Laptev Axis learned of this and immediately sent advisors to the targeted nations. After the evidence was presented and the situationed explained in full detail, these African nations allowed Axis troops to be stationed at their territories to deter foreign powers from protecting annexing them throughout the duration of the conflict or at least until the battle of Morocco has concluded. The decision to allow Axis troops to be garrisoned in their territories was mostly due to the long standing history that the Axis has in upholding and honoring agreements be they formal or informal. After Morocco had been captured by the Axis, Axis troops pulled out from these nations as promised. Americas Mexico The following day a brutal battle between the UNSC-UGO, VeraState and Indauga and the United States of America took place at the Rappelberg penal colony of Mexico in North America. Both parties (Indiauga and VeraState in particular) utilized giant walker units which resulted in titanic clashes between the two warring powers. As a weapon of last resort to cover their retreat, VeraState detonated a WMD known as the FLEIJA weapon which created a massive explosion equivalent to that of a nuclear bomb, destroying not only the commanding officer of VeraState forces in Mexico, but taking a significant amount of Indaugan forces in the process as well. The detonation of the FLEIJA weapon marked the end of the war in the Mexican theater throughout the duration of the war resulting in a phyric victory for the Laptev Axis and its allies (8). The Caribbean The Caribbean saw little to no action throughout the duration of the war. The United States of America launched an invasion to capture Rappelberg's holdings in the carribbean. Faced with little to no resistance American forces were able to capture the Caribbean territory without too much trouble. India Punjab After the battle of Mexico, Indauga declared that they have achieved their purpose in the war and also at the same time deemed that they would evacuate their last colony on Earth located at Punjab, India. After most if not all Indaugan military assets evacuated from Earth, the territory was offered to the Laptev Axis. VeraState however took advantage of Punjab's vulnerable state and launched an invasion of the colony. VeraState military forces attacked both civilians and any remaining military personnel in the area, prompting the Laptev Axis to scramble forces to stop the massacre that VeraState was in the process of doing. Since the Axis had complete orbital and aerial supremacy in the area Axis forces led by Katasia launched an aerial assault against VeraState forces. A news report released by the Universal Broadcasting Corporation, a public service agency of the UPEO, depicted the massacre that took place. The response from the international was mostly negative as several nations such as the Terran Empire, Holy Trek, Beornicia, the UPEO itself. The UPEO and Beornicia went so far as to declaring VeraState as a terrorist organization. Shortly after the news report, Woestjin- the country where VeraState's base of operations was located, informed the world that VeraState had been evicted which prompted VeraState to resettle in the Pacific ocean. The massacre of Punjab ended as a victory for the Laptev Axis and the retreat of VeraState forces. Shortly after this the UPEO spearheaded a campaign to eliminate VeraState from Earth which led to the military operations that took place in the Pacific theater. The Pacific Ocean Somewhere above the Pacific Following VeraState's entrance into the war one of their superweapons known as the "Arkbird", a giant aerial weapons platform, has been carefully tracked by the UPEO. After VeraState committed a massacre at Punjab, expelled from their host country Woestjin and retreated to the Pacific Ocena, the UPEO ordered the UNSC to destroy the Arkbird. The battle only lasted for an hour and resulted in the destruction of the Arkbird after a series of ballistic missiles crippled it, followed by a single Burst Missile that finally destroyed the Arkbird. Vera Island With the destruction of the Arkbird, VeraState made its last stand on VeraIsland in the Pacific Ocean. An Axis fleet spearheaded by the UPEO's UNSC Maritime Defense Force began a siege of the island. Starting by conducting a reconnaissance of the island that had activated its cloaking field. After the island was discovered and exposed the Axis fleet began the siege by shelling the island and launching missiles towards it. Throughout the duration of the siege a faction from VeraState fled the scene and declared that they have surrendered unconditionally the Axis and were permitted to leave the battlefield towards French Polynesia where they were processed as POWs. The siege of VeraIsland ended when Zero, the leader of VeraState, activated a self-destruct mechanism that destroyed all of VeraIsland taking a few fighter jets that the MDF had sent to engage VeraState's air force. Geosynchronous orbit, Earth Eartly in the war he nation of Nationale Einheit, who at the time held a Non-Aggression Pact with the Laptev Axis, began a series of anti-Laptev rhetoric causing the Axis to keep an eye on the nation. Nationale Einheit was reminded of their long standing NAP with the Axis in hopes that it would keep them in line and pointed out that all the nations who were fighting Laptev declared war against Laptev and not the other way around. This implied that the Laptev Axis had no intentions of expanding the war lest other nations declare war against them. Several days later however several warships from Nationale Einheit emerged from their FTL travel and immediately launched snuclear missiles towards the Sol blockade and Earth, by doing so Nationale Einheit had violated their NAP with the Axis. It would be worth noting that the Sol blockade consisted of both Axis and non-Axis ships who sought to make sure that the conflict remained a terrestrial one. Nationale Einheit's snuclear missiles were destroyed before they could reach their targets. Nationale Einheit's action drew condemnation from nations who were part of the blockade and resulted in Nationale Einheit's ships being destroyed. Galaxy formerly held by the ARN Nationalstolz Following Nationale Einheit's violation of the NAP the Axis immediately sent fleets to all planets governed by Nationale Einheit in the ARN galaxy. An Axis armada led by Ystovia wasted no time and immediately commenced an orbital bombardment of the planet. Other Axis nations joined in using their preferred method of bombardment, Ystovia and the UPEO opted to glass the planet whereas the United States of America and Beornicia preferred to use conventional means by launching projectiles meant for ship-to-ship combat in space towards the planet. The United States of America fired the killing shot resulting in the fragmentation and subsequent destruction and obliteration of Nationalstolz as a whole. Since the bombardment commenced and concluded within such a short period of time it has been generally accepted that no one on Nationalstolz survived the destruction of Nationalstolz. Oettinger With Nationalstolz destroyed, Ystovia turned their attention towards the last planet that Nationale Einheit held- Oettinger. However unlike Nationalstolz, Oettinger was spared of destruction. Instead Ystovia declared their intentions to incorporate Oettinger as a part of Ystovia and launch a colonization effort of the entire planet. However a neighboring nation in the system, Patagonia, protested of Ystovia's actions, on the basis that the Axis have no right in claiming sovereignty over any part of the galaxy due to the fact that the galaxy was previously held by the ARN faction prior to their collapse, a faction that Patagonia was a part of as well. Ystovia and various other Axis nations pointed out that Axis had every right to do so based on the principal of uti possidetis (effective occupation) since it was the Axis who eliminated any Gaullian nation from the galaxy formerly held by the ARN by military means. Additionally due to the fact that by the time the war ended surviving members of Nationale Einheit government refused to arrange any peace treaties with the Laptev Axis, the fact that the Axis has occupied the territory during the war takes precedence. The debate continues to date. Impacts of the Rappelberg War The most devastated continent due to the war was arguably Africa. This was due to the fact that most of the military operations took place on the African continent. While it is true that there were other theaters of conflict as well, the African theater was the longest to end and was arguably the site of some of the most brutal battles that leveled entire cities. Social From a social perspective the war had devastated the west and central African communities. The official body count stood at at least 550,000 civilians killed and more than 20 million people displaced. The war has caused one of the largest humanitarian crisis in modern times and has prompted the UPEO to expadite reconstruction efforts in the African continent. A by product of this was the large influx of refugees who sought refuge from their homes to more stable countries such as the UPEO. This has forced the UPEO to impose strict immigration quotas and subsequently the implementation of mandatory detention for any illegal immigrants who enter UPEO territory. The UPEO has begun to increase security measures along its borders on both Earth and elsewhere but somehow illegal immigrants have been able to find their way through various loopholes in the heightened security measures. Political The war effectively removed all Gaullian presence from Earth and shifted the balance of power to the Laptev Axis and the Systems Commonwealth. This was due to the fact that even though the war was initially limited to removing Rappelberg, other Gaullian nations who had territories on Earth and were the only Gaullian nations to have such territories pledged their support to Rappelberg. As the war dragged on these nations were eventually defeated and their territories occupied and incorporated by the Axis nations who occupied them. It was ironic since Rappelberg's allies sought to remove all Laptev presence from Earth, despite fierce attempts on the part of Rappelberg to remain committed to a foreign policy of diplomacy-first, but instead, they along with her allies were removed completely from Earth. The Axis's entrance in the galaxy formerly held by the ARN has also been a source of many controversies with Patagonia, an ex-ARN nation, declaring that the Axis had no right to claim sovereignty over any part of the galaxy whereas the Axis argued that they are legitimately able to do so based on the principal of effective occupation. Over the next few days both Patagonia and the Axis began to issue conflicting rhetoric towards one and another. Patagonia then severed trade into the Tale System that may come from the ARN-Axis possessions and the Axis moving assets into the Tale System itself. This has been a source of friction between Laptev and the Systems Commonwealth. References (1) Morocco thread page 1: http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=31283 (2) Intel #1:http://oi45.tinypic.com/bi2iqc.jpg (3) Morocco thread pages 1 - 17: http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=31283&page=17 (4) Intel #2: http://oi49.tinypic.com/2mh5yo.jpg (5) Morocco thread page 3 post 5: http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=31283&page=3 (6) Morocco thread page 3 post 6" http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=31283&page=3 (7) Morocco thread page 27 posts 8 - 10: http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=31283&page=27 (8) Morocco thread page 10 posts 90 - 100: http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=29792 (9) Die Aufteilung der Einheit thread: http://nations.jm-innovations.com/facebook/forums/topic?t=31352 Category:Wars